Washington, Jan 29 (ANI): Blueberries are facing
stiff competition from plums, which are emerging as super fruits
because of the newly discovered high-levels of healthy nutrients in
them, say scientists at Texas AgriLife Research.

After analysing 100 varieties of plums, peaches and
nectarines, scientists have found them to match or exceed the
much-touted blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients associated
with disease prevention.

Plainly, "blueberries have some stiff competition.
Stone fruits are super fruits with plums as emerging stars," said Dr.
Luis Cisneros, AgriLife Research food scientist.

Cisneros, along with Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife
Research plant breeder, acknowledged that while blueberries remain a
good nutritional choice, a single inexpensive plum contains about the
same amount of antioxidants as a handful of more expensive blueberries.

"People tend to eat just a few blueberries at a time
- a few on the cereal or as an ingredient mixed with lots of sugar. But
people will eat a whole plum at once and get the full benefit," said
Cisneros.

Scientists discovered the plum''s benefits, along
with that of fellow stone fruits, the peach and the nectarine, after
measuring at least five brands of blueberries on the market.

Against those numbers, the team measured the content of more than 100 different types of plums, nectarines and peaches.

Firstly, they compared antioxidants, molecules that
sweep through a body looking for free radicals to knock out. Free
radicals are atoms or molecules that lurk where diseases like cancer
and heart disease are found.

"Knowing that we had all these varieties with high
levels of antioxidants, then the possibility of preventing these
diseases would also be high with their consumption, so we went to the
next step - how these compounds could actually inhibit chronic
diseases," said Cisneros.

The team examined the full content of plums and
peaches, and then tested the effect of the compounds they found on
breast cancer cells and cholesterol in the lab.

"We screened the varieties again with the biological
assays. And that had never been done before, because it is expensive
and a lot of work. But that investment is small in terms of the
information we got, and how it can be used now for breeding efforts to
produce even better fruit," said Cisneros.

Byrne pointed out that one benefit was that the
phytonutrients in plums inhibited in vitro breast cancer growth without
adversely affecting normal cell growth.

"Future work with stone fruits will focus on
cardiovascular and cancer using animal models and identification of
specific compounds that exert the properties," added Cisneros.

"We suggest that consumers take seriously the
recommendation to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables -
or even more - every day and to make sure that plums are part of that,"
said Byrne. (ANI)